The Very First Lady

“Elodie!” A familiar voice called out from behind her.

She turned around without slowing down. Eliot. Of course it was him. Will he ever leave me alone? Elodie thought, hurrying on. He was the last person she wanted to deal with right now.

“Elodie, wait up!” It wasn’t until he caught up with her on the narrow sidewalk that she finally acknowledged him.

“What? Why are you following me around?” Elodie snapped, fixing her big eyes on him.

Standing in front of her was her boyfriend. Well, “boyfriend.” At least, that’s what he thought. Elodie didn’t have time for that kind of drama.

“Why aren’t you answering my calls?” Beads of sweat glistened on his freckled nose.

“Because I was busy.”

“With what?”

“Eliot, why do you need to know everything I do?”

“Because we’re dating, El, and couples shouldn’t have secrets. Right?”

He reached out to take her hand, but she instantly pulled away.

“Couples are supposed to trust each other, not be control freaks. I don’t have to report my every move to you.” She knitted her brows, staring him down. However, his puppy-dog eyes melted her icy heart just a bit, and her tone immediately softened. “Eliot, you know I just started this job. And then there are castings, photo shoots.”

He took a step back, scanning her breezy floral dress, which was fluttering in the wind, threatening to reveal a bit too much. “Is that what you dressed up for? A casting?”

Elodie rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed huff. “You are unbelievable!” She turned on her heel and stormed off down the street—the same street she’d have to walk all summer long.

Refusing to give up so easily, Eliot hurried after her. Tripping clumsily over the uneven sidewalk, he tried in vain to get through to his cold girlfriend.

“Elodie, I’m just worried about you! What if something happens?!”

“What are you talking about? What could possibly happen to me?”

She turned off the sidewalk and stepped up to the door of the convenience store where she’d been working for the past few days. Eliot persistently followed her inside, trailing her through the aisles toward the back room.

“Anything, Elodie. I mean, Montreal is generally a safe city, but if you look at the crime stats for certain neighborhoods…”

“God, can you not be such a nerd?” she muttered, letting out a sigh of relief as her boss walked out to meet them. “Hello, Mr. Turcotte!”

“Hello to you too, Elodie.”

The appearance of the heavyset, elderly man with a stern gaze made Eliot freeze in his tracks. Meanwhile, Elodie had already vanished behind the back room door, leaving nothing behind but the faint trail of her sweet perfume. For a moment, silence hung in the air, broken only by the distant jazz drifting from an old radio.

A moment later, Elodie dashed back out into the store and headed straight for the cash register. Taking her spot behind the counter, she threw a faux-fur vest over her dress and hastily tied her long blonde hair into a bun.

“Elodie, so are we hanging out after your shift?” asked Eliot, who had caught up with her at the register and clearly had no intention of leaving.

“No, not tonight,” she replied dryly.

“Why not tonight?”

She glanced around awkwardly. “Are you going to buy something?”

Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Mr. Turcotte walked over to the cigarette display behind her. Eliot grabbed the first pack of candy his hand landed on and tossed it onto the counter. Then, dropping his voice and toning down the pressure, he went on, “I’m serious, Elodie. When can I see you?”

Suddenly, the front door burst open, announcing a new customer with the sharp chime of the bell.

“Hey, bestie!” a red-haired girl squealed enthusiastically, sweeping in like a whirlwind. Nudging Eliot aside, she leaned her whole body against the counter and reached across to greet Elodie with a double kiss on the cheek.

“Hey!” Elodie giggled.

Her quirky friend always had impeccable timing. Just when Elodie was running out of ways to make Eliot leave, her loyal Emma always came to the rescue.

“Hey, nerd boy!” Without waiting for the guy’s reply, Emma grabbed his head and planted a loud kiss on his cheek, leaving a smear of her red lipstick behind. Then she waved at Elodie’s boss, who had just brought out another carton of cigarettes. “Hi, Mr. Turcotte!”

The old man nodded back. “Hello, Emma.”

“Oh, those are exactly what I need. Benson & Hedges Super Slims White! Elodie, give me two packs.”

“Elodie, so what about tonight?” Eliot suddenly cut in, rubbing the lipstick smudge across his cheek.

“Yeah, what about tonight? Do you guys have plans? Don’t tell me you have plans!” Emma chimed in rapidly.

In the commotion brought on by her loud friend, Elodie didn’t notice that a few customers had walked into the store, and a short line was already starting to form.

“Alright, you kids, stop distracting Elodie from her work, or take it outside,” Mr. Turcotte said authoritatively, gesturing to Elodie that he would take over for a few minutes. Though he seemed stern on the outside, the old man was incredibly soft on Elodie, overlooking not only her friends dropping by but also her frequent tardiness.

“Thank you, Mr. Turcotte,” Elodie smiled, clasping her hands together under her small chin. It made her already angelic face look even more adorable.

***

Once the three of them stepped outside, Elodie hurried to pull Eliot aside, well away from her friend Emma’s curious ears.

“I’ll call you tomorrow morning, I promise.” She placed her small hand on his shoulder.

Looking down, Eliot just nodded silently in response.

“Oh, don’t be mad, Eliot. I have a lot on my plate today: work at the store, a casting tonight…”

“I could pick you up after…”

“I’ll be with Emma, you don’t need to worry.” Elodie nodded toward her friend, who was standing a few paces away and had just lit a cigarette.

Eliot shook his head slightly, forcing himself not to argue. Arguing with Elodie was pointless, and he knew that better than anyone. Instead, he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “Alright, stay safe, Elodie. Bye.” Then he turned on his heel and walked away. Elodie stood there, watching his slender figure fade down the street, drenched in the June sunshine. Too bad she didn’t feel the same way he did. He was her best friend and her first, but that clearly wasn’t enough. At least, not for Elodie.

“Well, finally!” Emma blurted out in her high-pitched voice. “Why are you babying that boy?”

“We’re kind of dating, did you forget?” Elodie smirked, joining her friend.

Emma rolled her eyes theatrically and took another drag. “Seriously, Elodie? Are you actually going to stay with him after we graduate? Because he’s clearly counting on it…”

“How do you know what he’s counting on?”

“Oh, please, it’s obvious. He does your homework for you, follows you around like a lost puppy.”

Emma shivered as a sudden gust of wind caught them, slightly messing up her thick red hair. “Seriously, Elodie, you need a grown-up boyfriend, not this kid.”

The wind swept up a swirl of cigarette smoke, blowing it right into Elodie’s face. “Ugh, Emma, why do you smoke that nasty stuff?”

“It calms my nerves.”

“It also ages your skin and causes bad breath.”

Cupping her hand over her mouth, Emma exhaled and gave her friend a puzzled look. “Now I’m even more nervous…”

“Good,” Elodie laughed.

“Don’t change the subject. I’m telling you, you need a real man.”

“All I need is to turn eighteen already, so I can finally leave for Paris.”

“Do you really think that’s what you need? Elodie, the competition over there is brutal…”

“So what? Is that supposed to scare me?”

“Shouldn’t it?” Emma stubbed out her cigarette and immediately pulled out a fresh one.

“Shooting local commercials for a couple hundred bucks isn’t exactly my ultimate dream.”

“If your mom weren’t so stubborn and let you come with us to Miami for the parties, you’d be making way more.”

Crossing her slender arms over her chest, Elodie gave her friend a patronizing look. “Even if my mom had let me go, I still wouldn’t have gone with you guys.”

“You’re missing out. A man can help you not just with money, but with connections too. What if you meet someone who knows someone at the Paris agencies and can introduce you to the right people?”

“I doubt it.”

Emma glanced around, stepped closer to Elodie, and dropped her voice to a near whisper. “Babe, you might actually get that chance tonight.”

“What chance?”

“To meet the right man.”

“And where exactly is that gonna happen? At the casting?”

“No, after. Tonight, we’re going to a party!”

“No, absolutely not! No parties!” Elodie shot back, taking a step away from her.

“Honey, listen! You don’t even know the details yet, and you’re already saying no!”

Elodie shook her head. Loose strands of hair, escaping from her bun, blew in the wind, framing her small face.

“We’re going to a party with some guys who are in town for the Formula 1. Two of them are sons of a president from some country in Eastern Europe. I forgot the name. But the younger one is supposedly next in line for the throne.”

“What throne? Is he a king or something?” Elodie giggled.

Emma paused to think before replying. “Whatever, he’s the next president, okay?”

“So what? What’s in it for me? It’s not like I’m the heir to the throne.” Elodie could barely contain her laughter at how seriously her friend was taking someone else’s privilege.

“Honey, please, just do it for me,” Emma whined.

“For you? So you are the one who needs a heavy hitter, and you’re just dragging me along?”

“No, silly, I’m looking out for both of us. You know you’re my best friend.”

Emma’s flattery seemed to do the trick, and a warm smile broke across Elodie’s sullen face.

“Alright, fine, we’ll go. But only for a little bit. I have to open the store early tomorrow.”

Barely able to contain her excitement, Emma squealed and hopped up and down, throwing her arms around her friend in a tight hug.